A child in Lake County has a confirmed case of measles, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Lake County Public Health announced Wednesday.
The unvaccinated child had traveled to a state with recent measles cases. The following locations have been identified as places with possible measles exposure:
- Mineral 1886 Restaurant, 700 Harrison Ave., Leadville, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
- Lake County High School, 1000 W. 4th St., Leadville, 7:35 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday
- St. Vincent Hospital Emergency Department, 816 W. 4th St., Leadville, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday
Early signs include a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, with a rash starting at the hairline about four days after someone becomes contagious.
Getting the shot up to 72 hours after exposure to the measles virus reduces the odds of getting sick. People who miss that window may still be able to prevent or reduce symptoms if they get an antibody product within six days, though the odds get longer as time passes.
Two shots of the measles vaccine are about 97% effective in preventing illness, if given at least two weeks before the person encounters the virus.
Anyone who develops symptoms after a known measles exposure should call ahead before seeking medical care, so the clinic or hospital can reduce the odds that other patients will get the virus.
Typically, the health department asks unvaccinated people with a known measles exposure to quarantine for 21 days.
The new measles case is the 17th in Colorado this year.
